Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying 24 satellites as part of the US Department of Defense’s Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission launches from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, 2019.
- The satellites include four NASA technology and science payloads that will study non-toxic spacecraft fuel, deep space navigation, “bubbles” in the electrically-charged layers of Earth’s upper atmosphere, and radiation protection for satellites.
Some of the features of this mission are:
- Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment: Two NASA CubeSats making up the Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment (E-TBEx) deployed at 3:08 and 3:13 a.m. Working in tandem with NOAA’s COSMIC-2 mission – six satellites that each carry a radio occultation (GPS) receiver developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – E-TBEx will explore bubbles in the electrically-charged layers of Earth’s upper atmosphere, which can disrupt communications and GPS signals that we rely on every day. The CubeSats will send signals in several frequencies down to receiving stations on Earth. Scientists will measure any disruptions in these signals to determine how they’re being affected by the upper atmosphere.
- Deep Space Atomic Clock: NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock is a toaster oven-sized instrument traveling aboard a commercial satellite that was released into low-Earth orbit at 3:54 a.m. The unique atomic clock will test a new way for spacecraft to navigate in deep space. The technology could make GPS-like navigation possible at the Moon and Mars.
- Green Propellant Infusion Mission: The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) deployed at 3:57 a.m. and immediately began to power on. GPIM will test a new propulsion system that runs on a high-performance and non-toxic spacecraft fuel. This technology could help propel constellations of small satellites in and beyond low-Earth orbit.
- Space Environment Testbeds: The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) was the last spacecraft to be released from STP-2 at 6:04 a.m. Onboard is an instrument designed by JPL to measure spacecraft vibrations, and four NASA experiments that make up the Space Environment Testbeds(SET). SET will study how to better protect satellites from space radiation by analyzing the harsh environment of space near Earth and testing various strategies to mitigate the impacts. This information can be used to improve spacecraft design, engineering and operations in order to protect spacecraft from harmful radiation driven by the Sun.
- In all, STP-2 delivered about two dozen satellites into three separate orbits around Earth. Kennedy Space Center engineers mentored Florida high school students who developed and built a CubeSat that also launched on STP-2. (NASA)
About Falcon Heavy
- SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is the world’s most powerful rocket.
- It can blast nearly 141,000 pounds (64 metric tons) into orbit, heavier than a fully-loaded 737 plane.
- The Falcon Heavy first stages, like that of the Falcon 9, is reusable.
- The rocket first took off in February 2018, on a demonstration mission that delivered Musk’s red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the sun.
